Autonomous Vehicle Developed for Surveying Assault-Zone Runways

TORC Robotics recently demonstrated an autonomous vehicle for Air Force Research Labs (AFRL) capable of performing expedient runway surveys, including taking soil hardness measurements, providing terrain data and reporting hazards to flight. The Robotic Assault Zone Terminal Evaluation Kit (RAZTEK), developed by TORC, AFRL, and Tec^Edge, consists of TORC unmanned vehicle conversion kits and a Mosquito soil sampling device from MDA Corporation installed on a Lightweight Tactical All-Terrain Vehicle (LTATV). The RAZTEK system automates the surveying and sample collection processes, reducing risk on assault-zone survey missions while collecting higher quality data.

Survey teams currently carry all of the necessary equipment along open runway areas. This labor-intensive process leaves them vulnerable to the many inherent risks of extended exposure times with limited situational awareness. The semi-autonomous process of surveying expedient runways with RAZTEK robotic systems offers a much faster, safer, more accurate means to gather the necessary data for assessing potential assault-zone landing strips.

The robotic system conducts survey missions during day and night conditions. While an operator control unit, running FalconView-based mapping software, plans and enacts the survey missions, RAZTEK also provides tele-operation capability for remote control of the system from standoff locations. The converted vehicle maintains its original capabilities and allows for optionally manned operation.

“The RAZTEK system leverages many of the proven technologies developed as part of the ongoing GUSS [Ground Unmanned Support Surrogate project for the Marine Corps. Having platform- and mission-agnostic conversion kits allows us to continually improve our core technology base while rapidly customizing and configuring them for customers’ specific applications,” states Andrew Culhane, Business Development Manager at TORC Robotics.

For the initial RAZTEK system, the customer-selected mobility platform is up-fit with TORC’s ByWire™, Tele-Op, and Autonomy unmanned ground vehicle kits, configured to meet the required mission-specific behaviors. TORC technology interfaces with modular mission payloads, such as the Mosquito, to further automate the mission.

The RAZTEK system has undergone two limited technical assessments (LTA) in the last six months with a final demonstration and delivery to AFRL scheduled for May. Contact TORC to learn more about RAZTEK and how its autonomous vehicle kits were used to rapidly develop the system.